Clamps



A. B. CASTLE Oct. 25, 1960 CLAMPS Filed March 22, 1956 FIG. 2

FIG. l

59 was CLAMPS Alfred B. Castle, Brookmont, Md. (4104 Maryland Drive, Washington 16, D.C.)

Filed Mar. 22, 1956, Ser. No. 573,164

Claims. -(Cl. 248-27) mined pattern allowing an observer such as a pilot to readily determine operating conditions without requiring separate reading of each instrument.

Hereto-fore instruments have been supported in instrument panels by various means and some of these means have provided for rotatable adjustment, but none has been entirely satisfactory on the basis of cost, adaptability to limited mounting space and security of maintaining the instruments in position while being subject to vibrations,

accelerating forces, shocks and the like.

An object of the present invention is to overcome these defects of the prior art, to provide a light weight clamp occupying a minimum of panel space and operable from the front of the instrument panel, and secured in position by conventional fastening means.

A further object is to provide clamp means of general utility for clamping objects and involving structure occupying a minimum of space.

Another object is to provide a clamp suitable for securing a member such as a pulley or thelike on a shaft in an adjusted position.

A further object is to provide means for coupling rods, pipes or shafts together or to other elements.

Other and further objects will appear as the description proceeds and upon reference to the accompanying drawing wherein:

Figure 1 is a top view of one form of clamp mounted in a fragment of an instrument panel.

Fig. 2 is a section of the clamp taken on line 22 of Fig. 1 showing an instrument in phantom outline and showing the clamping condition of the clamp in dotted line.

Fig. 3 is a top view of a modified form of clamp mounted in a fragment of an instrument panel.

Fig. 4 is a section taken on line 4-4 of Fig. 3.

Fig. 5 is a plan view of a further modification of clamp with a toggle operating means.

Fig. 6 is a section taken on line 66 of Fig. 5.

Fig. 7 is another modification of clamp particularly useful for mounting a door lock withinthe thickness of a fr-agmentarily illustrated door.

Fig. 8 is a section taken on line 8-8 of Fig. 7.

Fig. 9 is a top plan view of a further modification of clamp in which .the clamping action is obtained by a pushing action of the operating screws.

Briefly the clamping structure of the present invention includes a band for engaging an instrument or. other object to be gripped-and means to distort the band producing .a change in content whereby the object will be securely gripped. *Therdistortion may be obtained by actuationof .an.roperating element such .as an operating ited tats at screw which may actuate a toggle arrangement of links or distort the band producing a change in dimension resulting in the clamping action.

Upon more detailed reference to the drawings a fragment of an instrument panel 10 (Figs. 1 and 2) having an instrument receiving opening 11 and attaching screw receiving apertures 12, 13 receives an instrument 14 shown in phantom having a bezel 15 for limiting the insertion of the instrument into the panel 10, such bezel 15 also serving as a handle for rotating the instrument for adjustment. A clamp shown as a section of a tube 16 is provided with a slot 17 intermediate the ends of the tube section permitting distortion of the tube so that one portion 18 of the tube 16 can be displaced axially of another portion 19 thereof whereby at least a portion of the tube will be distorted to reduce the eifective transverse dimension of the tube whereby an object such as the instrument 14 will be peripherally gripped due to such axial distortion.

The distortion of the portions 18 and 19 of the tube is produced by means of an apertured lug 20 secured to the portion 19 of the clamp and loosely and 'guidingly receiving the shank 21 of an operating screw having a head 22 providing a shoulder engaging the instrument panel 10 and having a threaded end 23 threadedly received in a threaded lug 24 secured to portion .18 at the inner edge thereof whereby rotation of the screw results in drawing the portions 18 and 19 .of the tube adjacent the slot together to the dotted line position resulting in the clamping action. It will be apparent that .a clamping action may be produced by the tube clamp 16 without being mounted on an instrument panel as the shoulder of the screw head 22 may engage the guiding lug 20 thereby adapting the clamp to many other uses where peripheral clamping is desired. The opposite side of the clamp 16 is provided with an attaching lug 25 which is preferably threaded to receive an attaching screw 26 so that the clamp is secured at diametrically opposed sides thereby securing the instrument 14 in fixed relation to the panel 10.

In the modification of Figs. 3 and 4 a tube 27 is provided with slots 28 and 29 on opposite sides thereof and has guide lugs 30 and 31 adjacent the instrument panel '10 through which operating screws 32 and 33 are guidingly received, the heads 34, 35 of such screws having their shoulders abutting the instrument panel and the threaded portions being threaded into tapped lugs 36, 37 respectively on the inner edges of the tube 27. It will thus be seen that tightening of screws 32 and 33 will result in symmetrical distortion of the tube into the exaggerated dotted line position thereby securely retaining the instrument 14 on the panel and securing the clamp securely to the panel. For positively opening of the clamp, split spring washers 38 may be provided and mounted in grooves in the screws 32 and 313 for abutting the lugs 30 and 31 so that the screws may produce a pushing action on the tapped lugs 36 and 37' to restore the clamp tube to the full line position in the event of sticking of the clamp to the instrument or in the event the distortion resultsin permanent deformation of the tube clamp. Tolimit the clamping force on an instrument and the-amount. of distortion of the clamp the threads'on the screw can gbe-cut for a limited distance only so the unthreaded portion-of.thescrew would bind on the threads of lugs 36,:37-before permanent deformation could occur. Alsoby limiting thelength of the. screw the extent of positive. opening can be limited.

In FigsVS and 6 a modified clampincludes a band 39 having its ends 40 and .41 in overlapping relation, a T- ,shaped opening or slot .42..being provided in end .40 and .an opening or slot 43. being. provided in end .41, the end .41 passing through the T-shaped slot thereby preventing outward separation of the end 41 that would normally overlie the end 40. Studs or rivets 44, 45 are secured to the ends 40 and 41 of the band and one end of a first link 46 is pivoted to stud 44 and one end of a second link 47 is pivoted to stud 45, the other ends of links 46 and 47 being pivotally connected to a pivot member 48 having a threaded aperture through which an operating screw 49 is threaded, the head of the operating screw engaging the instrument panel taking the reaction of tightening the screw in the pivot member 48. This operation of the screw draws the pivot member 48 and the links from the full line or open position of the clamp to the dotted line or clamping position of the clamp thereby producing a peripheral clamping action and after the instrument is clamped further tightening secures the clamp on the instrument panel 10.

For preventing radially outward movement of the screw 49 and pivot member 48, slotted guiding lugs 50 and 51 may be provided on band end 40, the slots being of sumcient length to permit necessary relative movement between the screw and the lugs to allow unobstructed tightening action within the range of the links. To assure aligning the pivot member 48 for insertion of the screw into the threaded aperture thereof the lug 51 may engage one flat surface of the pivot member 48 and to prevent excessive movement of the pivot member toward the lug 50 the lug 50 may be of sufiicient extent axially of the tube formed by the band 39 that the links cannot move beyond approximately the dotted line position of the links. The guiding lugs may be separate elements secured to the band 39 or may be formed by bending material of the band 39 to provide such lugs, the lug 50 taking any excess force so that the clamping pressure cannot damage the instrument and to prevent the toggle from breaking in the other direction. To attach the other side of the clamp a threaded lug 52 shown in phantom and which may be similar to lug 25 is provided and the clamp is thereby secured to the instrument panel and the instrument 14 can be adjusted as desired.

A further modification of the clamp shown in Figs. 7 and 8 illustrates a clamp suitable for securing a lock in a fragmentarily illustrated door 53 having an aperture 54 therethrough into which a tubular clamp member 55 is inserted, said clamp member having slots 56 and 57 extending from opposite sides thereof toward the center of the clamp. Face plates 58, 59 are provided on opposite sides of the door 53 and have lock receiving apertures 60, 61 respectively of a size to receive a flanged lock (not shown). A guiding lug 62 fixed to a portion 63 and a guiding lug 64 fixed to a portion 65 receive the headed ends of operating screws 66 and 67 respectively, the other or threaded ends of the screws being threadedly received in threaded lugs 68 and 69 respectively fixed to portions 70 and 71 respectively of the tubular clamp member 55, the screws passing through apertures in the face plates 59 and 58 respectively. When a lock is in position in the clamp and the screws are tightened the portions 70 and 71 are urged to the dotted line positions securing the lock in the clamp and in position in the door. The action of the operating screws also urges the face plates tightly against the surface of the door thereby maintaining the parts in assembled relation and requiring that access be had to both sides of the door for removal or insertion of the door lock.

In Fig. 9 a modified form of clamp includes a skeltonized tube-like member having slots 72, 73 extending from opposite sides of the member. To portions 74 and 75 of the member threaded lugs 76 and 77 respectively are fixed and into which shouldered operating screws 78 and 79 are threaded, said screws having shoulders formed by the difference in diameter between the reduced ends 80, 81 of the screws and the main portion of such screws with such shoulders engaging cooperating shoulders on lugs 82 and 83 respectively secured to portions 84 and 85 of the clamp member, the reduced ends 80, 81. being freely rotatable in lugs 82 and 83. When the screws 78 and 79 are turned in a direction to draw the heads thereof against the instrument panel 10 the shoulders of the screws cause lugs 82 and 83 to separate from lugs 76 and 77 respectively causing a clamping action between portions 74, and 84, 85 and the instruments 14 thereby securing the instrument in the clamp member. The extent of the clamping force is limited by the length of screws 78 and 79 from the head of the shoulder. To positively cause the clamp to open when the screws are operated in a loosening direction the reduced ends and 81 thereof may be provided with grooves in which split rings 86 and 87 are mounted to engage the inner end of lugs 82 and 83 to positively draw portions 74, 84 and 75, together thereby restoring the clamp member to instrument releasing condition.

Although the invention has been described in Specific details, it will be apparent that changes may be made within the scope of the appended claims and that the clamps may be used for many other purposes such as connecting tubular or rod-like elements together and that the invention has many other uses and adaptations.

What is claimed is:

1. The combination with an instrument panel having an instrument receiving opening therethrough and an instrument clamping operating screw receiving aperture adjacent the periphery of the instrument receiving opening, a relatively flexible non-stretchable thin walled tubular member on one side of said panel and having its bore substantially aligned with the opening in said panel, said tubular member having a smooth interior to provide for axial insertion and removal of an instrument without requiring rotation, said tubular member having at least one slot extending transversely of the tubular member between the ends thereof and through the periphery of the tubular member with the inner ends of the slot lying on a chord extending across a substantial portion of the tubular member, said slot permitting one end portion of said tubular member to move relatively to the other end portion of the tubular member in a direction toward and away from the ends whereby the effective periphery of said tubular member may be reduced by deforming said tubular member by relative movement of said end portions of said tubular member, a headed operating screw extending through said aperture in said panel, a projection on an end portion of said tubular member distant from said panel, said projection having an internally threaded bore in alignment with said aperture in said panel, said operating screw having its head in engagement with the other side of said panel and the shank being threaded into said projection whereby a tightening rotation of said operating screw will move said projection and said end portion of said tubular member distant from said panel toward said end portion adjacent said panel to thereby provide a clamping action on an instrument received in said bore of said tubular member and also retain said tubular member in fixed position on said panel.

2. The invention according to claim 1 in which at least another aperture is provided in said panel adjacent the periphery of said opening and additional securing means including a headed screw therethrough, and means on said tubular member cooperating with said screw to secure the tubular member to said panel.

3. The invention according to claim 1 in which a second slot, projection and operating screw are provided to additionally deform the tubular member, and the instrument panel is provided with a second operating screw receiving aperture in alignment with said second projection and operating screw.

4. An instrument clamp comprising a thin walled flexible tubular member having a smooth interior to provide for axial insertion and removal of an instrument without requiring relative rotation of said tubular member and the instrument, said tubular member having at least one slot extending transversely of the tubular member between the ends thereof and through the periphery of the tubular member with the inner ends of the slot lying on a chord extending across a substantial portion of the tubular member, a projection on each end of said tubular member on the side of said tubular member adjacent the mid portion of the slot, one projection having an internally threaded aperture, and the other projection having an unthreaded aperture with said apertures in alignment, and a shouldered threaded bolt threaded into said threaded aperture and extending into said unthreaded aperture with the shoulder of said bolt in abutting relation to said unthreaded projection, said slot permitting one end portion of said tubular member to move relatively to the other end portion of the tubular member in a direction toward and away from the ends whereby the efiective inner periphery of said tubular member may be reduced by deforming said tubular member by relative movement of said end portions of said tubular member, whereby rotation of said bolt causes a reduction of the inner peripheral circumference to clamp the instrument securely.

5. The invention according to claim 4 in which a sec- 0nd slot is provided in said tubular member spaced from said first slot with the inner ends of the second slot lying on a chord extending across a substantial portion of the tubular member, a second projection on each end of said tubular member on the side of the tubular member adjacent the second slot, one of said second projections having an internally threaded aperture and the other of said second projections having an unthreaded aperture with said apertures in alignment, and a second shouldered threaded bolt threaded into said second threaded aperture with the shoulder in abutting relation to said second unthreaded projection.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 171,898 Wiles Jan. 4, 1876 288,299 Bliss Nov. 13, 1883 2,598,704 Lai June 3, 1952 2,616,644 Christophersen Nov. 4, 1952 2,684,221 Wollam July 20, 1954 

